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In one of my high school level vocation schools, I recently discovered a storage room with the following items: flammable paint, water hose, paper, cardbord boxes, plastic 5 gallon containers, ladders and a mixture of other items. The instructor will be i

In one of my high school level vocation schools, I recently discovered a storage room with the following items: flammable paint, water hose, paper, cardbord boxes, plastic 5 gallon containers, ladders and a mixture of other items. The instructor will be instructor will be required to re-organize the storage room. I have the following questions. 1) If the paint is located in a flammable cabinet, can the other items be in the same storage room? 2) If the cabinet and materials can be stored in the same room, is there a distance requirement between the flammable cabinet and the rermaining items? The room is so full, no one can get into it. Thanks for your asistance. Richard T. Owen, Safety Administrator, Kentucky Department of Education

Why do they need flammable (high VOC) paints? Many users can get-by using non-flammable latex / water based paints - this is particularly true for art classes and theatre / drama areas. Evaluate this to see what the user's true needs are and adjust your paint inventory appropriately. If their are flammable paints / chemicals in use, then there are other ventilation and PPE concerns that should also be addressed.

Why is the school purchasing flammable paper and cardboard goods? Most of these materials can be obtained in a version that is treated with fire retardants. I recently visited a school that had stored ~100-150 rolls of flammable 'construction' paper (various colors) on the auditorium stage (it's not a good plan to store 'fuel' on a stage / platform . . . where all the scenery and costumes are to be constructed from non-flammable materials or treated with fire retardant - REF: LSC 101, Chapter 13). I checked the paper manufacturer and model number and found that they also offered a version that was safer to use in schools. Most of this paper and cardboard gets turned into art projects and banners that line the school walls.

Work with your school district to get them to recognize that there are safer options for the purchasing department to acquire.

As with all hazard mitigation: The 1st and best option is to eliminate the hazard.